MecGar 1911 Magazine Testing

[AwesomeAlex420]

so do these mags feed hollow points good?

[TheCardboardArsenal]

What model of 1911 is that?

[slagman5]

@uncharted75 OH NOOOSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!11 lol. Looks like someone was bored...

[mixwell1983]

That seems like a very cool range.. The range I go to in CA you hand holster your firearm, cannot shoot rapid fire etc.. Kinda sucks but I can understand, there are a lot of idiots shooters out there.

[wayne1one]

I own a couple of Mec-Gar mags for my loaded and they functioned great. The are strong and look way better than my factory SA mags.

[vatoencabronado]

Mec Gar's are easily the best 1911 magazines I've had experience with. That includes Colt, Chip McCormick, Wilson, and Kimber TacMags. They always work, are easy to clean, and are very smooth in operation.

[mixwell1983]

@vatoencabronado - You should also check out ACT-MAG.. They're almost the same as Mec Gar BUT they follower is metal where as mec uses a plastic follower.

[svandamme76]

@mixwell1983

odd, have 2 Mec Gar 7 round mags right here, metal follower, not plastic.

[mixwell1983]

@svandamme76 - Hmm... the mec gar i have is an 8 rd mag with plastic and has a black coating.. Maybe you can buy variant models but since I have only 1 mec gar mag I cannot say that all are like that but at a gun show i stopped by a booth and asked about mec gar and the person mentioned act mag which was stainless and @ $20 turned me on to it and it has a metal follower so it could possibly be a certain "model" of mec gar mags.. still in yet for the price vs wilson etc they're great mags !!

[willadio]

ah different muzzle flashes and those cartridges fly everywhere lol

[glutn4punshmnt]

I've got a Lightweight Champion Operator that seems to hate the Mec Gar mag that I got with it for some reason. The rounds feed well, but the weapon goes back into battery after the last shot about half the time. Also, when trying to drop the magazine from the weapon, it doesn't like to fall free on it's own. It has to be pulled out, and with a bit of force as well. I usually love Mec Gar magazines. I think it may just be a problem with ones that come with weapons, not aftermarket ones.

[Springr1911]

I have same pistol you have, and found the best mags are Wilson Combat 47D's. The stock mags are crap, but Wilson's run smooth as silk. If you have questions let me know. I love that pistol it's my daily carry fire arm.

[SirGlockALott]

Are they a true 8rd mag (like Tripp/Cobra) or a 7rd mag stuffed with 8rds?

[slagman5]

Designed to take 8 rounds. The last round isn't especially hard to put in...

[waroffiveeye]

Are the magazines out of the box reliable?

[slagman5]

I haven't fired thousands of rounds out of them, but out of maybe 500-700 rounds through them haven't had an issue yet...

[shasha1873]

@slagman5 Hey, is MecGar better or Wilson Combat?

[slagman5]

@shasha1873 Personally, the mags I'm going to go with are Chip McCormick Power Mags. The Mec Gars are built like tanks, very sturdy, but not a big fan of the shape of the slam pad, and one of them had a problem of not dropping free from the weapon. Wilson's work but tend to have a pretty weak spring compared to the Power Mags and Mec Gars. The Chip McCormick Power Mags seem to work without any problems at all. Just my personal observations.

[shasha1873]

@slagman5 OK. I will give it a try. Thanks a lot.

[RakishTilt]

I hope you are wearing ear protection =/. BTW Im looking to pick up an MC Operator, how much did you get yours for?

[slagman5]

I bought mine for $900, but that was a while ago. I think they are probably around $1000 - $1200 now?

[Takata240]

ya unfortunately just got mine today there around 1350 in CA and with the taxes it comes to 1500 but i saved my money for it for a while walked in with the intent on buying a kimber because i didnt think it would be instock but it was so i slapped down the extra money for it :P

[slagman5]

Actually, prices for these have really gone up, especially CA with their "CA legal" versions. I still don't know the difference in 1911's... anywho, I'm sure you'll love the Operator. Post some videos of you shooting! :-)

[Takata240]

lol i think the only difference for it here is i think they put a firing pin stop in it im not for sure but i know it has to do with the firing pin. and i'll post some as soon as i save the money for ammo too :P only wish i could get a CCW here :( cant wait to one day move

[slagman5]

I hear Tennessee is a very nice place to live. They have big cities, small towns, lots of nature, a little bit of everything. I think I might move there myself sometime in the future... :-)

[Takata240]

lol as of right now with this stupid state i'd live anywhere i can get a decent job with insurance, a 30 round mag, and a CCW. i'm looking mostly at washington, oregon, airzona, idaho, texas, NM, but im still keeping my options open :)

[damarei]

OK, let me rephrase it.

The gun seems to exhibit less muzzle rise with the last three shots out of that magazine.

Unless you changed or tightened your grip somehow, it seems, "off"

[slagman5]

UM, and let me rephrase (aka repeat myself with different words). The snappy action of a firearm's recoil is faster than a camera can fully capture at 15 frames per second. Sometimes it'll catch the highest point, sometimes it wouldn't, depending on if the split second when the muzzle is at its highest point if it's right when the camera is exposing one of it's 15 exposures that second or if it's between frames. At 30 fps it's twice as likely to get it all, 60 fps 4 times as likely, etc.

[slagman5]

That's why sometimes it'll capture the muzzle flash, sometimes it wouldn't, sometimes if you look closely you can see the slide at its "back" or open position, sometimes you don't and it appears to look like it stays in battery through the entire cycle.

[damarei]

What I'm really trying to figure out is why you're acting like such a douche bag, LOL.

I just asked if the last three rounds were less powerful somehow because they appeared to exhibit less recoil on your arms, which don't move too quickly for the camera, and they sound a little different, as well.

Oh well

[slagman5]

I'm acting like a douche because I'm trying to answer your question to the best of my knowledge? They are all the same exact rounds, that's the answer. Next time I'll just answer "no" and leave you hanging, don't worry. ;-) just kidding, lol

[damarei]

Whoa, those last three rounds at around 0:50 seemed a little off, no?

[slagman5]

I hope you're not thinking those sparks that fly off are the bullets...

[damarei]

facepalm.jpg.

No, it seemed like they had less OOMPH than the others.

[slagman5]

Not sure how you can tell that from a video, hope you're not relying on muzzle flash since the camera only shoots at 15 frames per second... I'm working on getting a camera that shoots 640x480 movies at 30 frames per second, everything will look more consistent then...

[gandb21]

Do you prefer the slide stop reload or racking the slide?

[slagman5]

I prefer racking the slide. Using the slide stop is faster, but racking the slide is more universal. It won't matter if the 1911 is all you use, but if you happen to be using something else and you're used to using the slide stop, it can mess you up when you go to reload in an emergency situation. So I'd rather get used to a method that works just as well for all weapons.

[DaOneAndOnly3]

Sorry I should have been more descriptive, but many people have said never use hollow points in a 45 acp. I guess there just not hollow point fan's.

[slagman5]

I think what you're referring to is a sentiment that you should not use hollow points in a 1911. That is based on the original GI version of the 1911, I guess the idea is that since it is a mil-spec weapon and the military didn't use hollowpoints, that the weapon was not properly ramped to fire them reliably. I don't know because I've never tried it, I've fired hollowpoints from a Mil-Spec and it's worked fine, so don't know how true that is...

[gandb21]

Most 1911s, whether Mil-Spec or not, will cycle hollowpoints fairly reliably. Although not as reliable as 230gr ball, which is recommended by most manufacturers.

[ShadRizzo]

I own an Army issue Ithaca 1911 dated to 1943. I can vouch (at least for mine) that they aren't 100% when cycling JHP, it's an easy fix when all that's really needed is to polish the feed ramp and throat the barrel, it helps a lot, though I haven't done it to this particular 1911. Barring slight modifications as I've stated above, Glaser PowRBall ammo feeds reliably in mine as it's a hollowpoint but acts as ball ammo would during the cycling process as there is a polymer ball acting as the tip.

[DaOneAndOnly3]

How does +p ammunition or even hollow points do in the 45 acp?

[slagman5]

What exactly do you mean how do they do? you asking about recoil? About reliability? Either case, they both are fine in my 1911, never had a malfunction and the recoil is manageable. Hope that covers the question, lol.

[rentacop31]

I use mecgar mags for my beretta 92fs. I used them in a firearms class, shot about 500 rounds and they worked beautifully

[slagman5]

Alright, I have an update on these magazines. I've switched back to using Wilson Combat 8-round magazines. After some more shooting with these MecGar mags, I've noticed that they don't always drop free. They get hung up and need to be stripped 1 out of 5 times I would say. Yes, it's good practice to strip the mags yourself with your weak hand, but it's always a good feature if they drop free on their own. Wilsons always drop free form my experience with them.

[gandb21]

I've had a couple that wouldn't drop free. Nothing some light sanding wont fix tho.

[dudeschnappes]

you oughta be wearing some earmuffs, but after being around guns a lot, i guess you yourself have gotten used to it. Also, nice double taps.

[slagman5]

Oh, I'm definitely wearing hearing protection, they are just inside the ear. I personally don't like ear muffs, I prefer ear plugs because they don't get in the way of getting a proper cheek weld when shooting a rifle like ear muffs sometimes do. Trust me, I won't be shooting in an indoor range without hearing protection...

[bubejunkie]

I was told by many range officers that since the sound reflects off the walls in indoor ranges theres a greater risk for ear damage. Every indoor range I go to (in L.A.) require ear muffs. Outdoor ranges only require plugs. But hey..to each is own. Gool piece.

[slagman5]

I don't know about you, but I've tried both ear plugs and ear muffs and I find that ear plugs work much better. And looking at the numbers, ear muffs generally have a noise reduction rating of about 20-27db while ear plugs are 25-35db...

[slagman5]

Not to mention ear muffs have a much greater chance of getting unseated, if you nudge it and a part of the padded seal lifts off your face, all that protection just went out the window. I've never had a problem with losing effectiveness with ear plugs.

[bubejunkie]

true...im just saying what all the range officers tell me. cuz they're nazi's ahaha.. happy gunning man. later.

[dudeschnappes]

o, lol, thot u weren't wearing the protection. i was also thinking that indoor ranges were more taxing on the hearing that outdoor ranges... i guess they are now.

[slagman5]

Having eye and ear protection is pretty much mandatory in any gun range where I am, indoor or outdoor. I guess it only makes sense.

[slagman5]

Ok, I think the ear muffs I've used just suck, because they are supposed to be better than plugs, but so far, ear plugs seem to work better, at least out of the ones I've tried...